ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Album Notes

Notes on this CD
Junko trys to play piano like she sings. She trys to play piano like she tells stories to her friends. That is the reason this CD is named “Canción para piano” - Song for piano. The pieces on this CD are favorites from her recent concert program \"A World Journey on the Keyboard\", romantic and expressive pieces from the world, including Ryuichi Sakamoto, Rachmaninov, Piazzolla, de Falla, Albeniz, Ginastera, Poulenc, Nakada, and Yoshimatsu. There are interesting connections between those composers, though they sometimes lived thousands of miles apart each other.

Profile of Junko Ueno Garrett, pianist

Japan-born Junko Ueno Garrett has captivated audiences around the world with her colorful tone, poetry, expressiveness, dynamic technique, and wide range of repertoire. She began playing piano at the age of three, trained at the prestigious Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, and received a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in the United States.

Junko’s recent engagements in the U.S. include recitals in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Kansas City, Denver, Salt Lake City, Tucson, Houston, Fairbanks, and many other cities under the auspices of the Japan Foundation, Japanese Embassy, and Japanese Consulates General. She performed on several occasions for the 150-year celebration of the US-Japan treaty. Under the Japan Foundation’s Grant program she toured South America in 2006, 2002, and 1999, including Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. During these visits, she performed and lectured on “Piano Journey in Japan: 100 years of Japanese Piano Music”, ”Music of Toru Takemitsu”, and “East meets West,” receiving high critical acclaim. In the 2008-2009 season she will tour again in South America under the Japan Foundation Grant program and the Japanese Government’s Culture program. In the summers of 2007 and 2005, at the invitation of the U.S. State Department, Junko toured in Japan as part of the Belrose Duo (with husband and Los Angeles Philharmonic cellist, David Garrett) performing and lecturing on American music in many Japanese cities. In 2000, Junko received “The Japanese Counsel General\'s Award” for her contributions to international relations and understanding between countries. Besides Japanese music programs she tours with the theme “A World Journey on the Keyboard”, including a recital at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC in 2007.

In Los Angeles she keeps a busy performance schedule, performing on the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s chamber music series, chamber music collaborations with leading Los Angeles musicians, faculty performances, and guest artist appearances. Junko holds a faculty position at Occidental College.

Junko debuted in the U.S. in 1991, South American in 1992, and France in 1994, and her return trip to France in 1996 included a live performance on Radio France. Her return debut to her Japanese homeland was in 1995 as a member of the Belrose Duo, and she has since performed annually in Japan. She toured in Japan with “A World Journey on the Keyboard” program in fall of 2006, and captivated a wide range of audiences. Other recent activities include concert tours to India in 2004 and 2005 introducing Western Music to Indian audiences. She often gives masterclasses where she performs.

Junko has released three solo CDs, \"Cancion para piano\", \"100 Years of Japanese Piano Music\", and \"American Music for Piano.\" She has also partnered in two piano trio CDs of Japanese folk songs commissioned by the Japanese philanthropist, Mr. Seigo Arai. Her teachers have included John Perry, Robert Roux, Hiroshi Miura, and Keiko Kanazawa. Junko Ueno Garrett is a Kawai artist. She resides in Los Angeles.

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